


Quirk of Fate

by BlueStarOfTheSouth



Category: DCU (Comics), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Don’t copy to another site, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Jason Todd
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2020-01-23 16:21:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18553387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueStarOfTheSouth/pseuds/BlueStarOfTheSouth
Summary: After Jason crawls out of the Pit he takes Damian, and an alien hybrid he found along the way, and runs like hell. And then the three of them fall into another world of heroes.





	1. An assassin, a half alien hybrid, and a zombie walk into an abandoned farmhouse...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason takes his two new brothers and runs all the way to another world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This should be fun...
> 
> Fun fact, there are like seven people called Jonathan Kent. That may have been the most research I've ever put into a tag.
> 
> Anyway, new story. I'm sort of returning to my roots on this one, Jason adopts Damian and starts a new life. Mixing it up a bit, I read Super-Sons last week and fell in love with Jon. He's adorable.
> 
> This may or may not end up as slash, pairing Damian and Jon together. Not sure yet, but I'll make sure to give fair warning if that happens.
> 
> Discord Link

**Possibly Asia, maybe China**

 

Jason didn't know where they were, somewhere in Asia at his last check, China maybe.

 

He needed to get help, at the very least he needed someone to take a look at Damian. The kid had taken a knife to the gut during their last scuffle with the League of Assassins, and while Jason had managed to stop the bleeding and suture the wound shut, thank you first aid training and unguarded hospitals, the kid needed a real doctor. Something they couldn't stop for when the Shadows seemed to be right behind him.

 

He had barely slept since they escaped the League, only getting power naps when they were hiding in trains or in the backs of trucks. Despite that he had at least _tried_ to get Damian to sleep on something approaching a real sleep schedule. He was pretty sure he had failed horribly, but he did put in a genuine effort.

 

And then there was the _other_ kid. Jason wasn't sure how long he'd been dead, but it was evidently long enough for Superman to have a kid. The kid, Jon, said he was only six years old, so Jason was putting his time dead at around six years. What the hell Superman's six year old kid was doing in the middle of what may or may not be Asia Jason didn't know, neither did the kid. He said that someone had came to the house and did some weird magic and he had fallen through a portal just as his dad burst into the room. Luckily Jason had been passing by the field that Jon had been taken to and took the kid with him.

 

And so a child assassin, a half alien hybrid, and a zombie ran away from an army of ninjas.

 

Unfortunately it looked like they had to make a stand. The Shadows had gotten too close, and Jason was running out of steam. So he decided to make his stand in an abandoned farmhouse in the middle of whatever country this was. The three of them walked, well Jason carried Damian, into the basement. He sat Damian, who was still recovering from being stabbed two days ago, down against the wall on some blankets, that looked filthier than the floor, that Jon scrounged up. That done he turned to Jon, grabbing the kid by the shoulders.

 

“Ok, I'm going up there to fight the bad guys, Ok?” Something he had learned on this little trip: using simpler words around the kids helped. He wasn't going to kill their pursuers, he was going to fight bad guys. They were young, and responded better to simple ideas.

 

“Ok.” Jason was thankful that Clark had allowed his son to be kidnapped, as horrible as the very thought was, if only because it meant that he didn't have to leave Damian alone in this basement while he went and killed people.

 

“Now, I need you to stay here and protect Damian, can you do that?” Jon gave a small, if determined, nod. “Good. Anyone that isn't me comes down here I want you to hit them as hard as you can. Got it?” Another nod and Jason was off.

 

The door to the basement led into a small stairway, which led up to another door. As Jason climbed the stairs he heard something behind him. Putting his ear to the bottom door he heard the sounds of things scraping along the floor: Jon making a makeshift barricade. There was some heavy stuff in that room, including what looked like the remains of a small pipe organ, so the door should hold for a while. Smart kids.

 

Jason managed to find a key for the door at the top of the stairway, sitting on a nearby side table, so he locked the door. That should slow them down a bit, assuming they got past Jason, and right now every second he could buy was more precious than gold.

 

That done he hunted about, trying to find anything useful.

 

* * *

 

 

The battle was swift.

 

The kill squad was made up of five assassins, each fully armed and mentally prepared. Jason was using whatever it was he could salvage and had barely slept in over a week. Needless to say, Jason liked those odds.

 

The first assassin died when Jason threw a knife, that he had found in the kitchen, into his eye. A dive under a sword swing Jason reclaimed his knife, driving it into the back of the second assassin's knee, bringing them low so that Jason could drive a sword, taken from the corpse of the first assassin, into his back and through his heart. The third wasn't even a factor, because they had triggered the explosive he had planted on the basement door, conveniently taking out the fourth in the blast.

 

The fifth actually put up a fight, a fight that ended with Jason being kicked down the stairs and crashing into a wall. That done the assassin ignored him and started breaking down the door to the room the boys were in. Jason would have rose to stop him, but his right leg was bent at a funny angle. He suspected that would hurt like hell when the adrenaline ran out. Oh well, problems for later, right now he had an assassin to deal with.

 

* * *

 

 

Jon stared at the door, wishing with all his might that he had his dad's x-ray vision. There was a lot of noise upstairs, including what sounded like an explosion, and someone was trying to break the door down, and _Jason wasn't there to help them!_

 

Finally the door, as well as the stuff he had stacked in front of it, gave way, and one of the people that had been chasing them walked in. The man didn't even seem to notice Jon, walking towards Damian and saying something that Jon didn't understand. The man moved forward, clearly intending to take Damian, like Jason said they would.

 

“ _Now, I need you to stay here and protect Damian, can you do that?”_ Jason and Damian were relying on him, he couldn't let this man take Damian while he had a chance to stop them. Moving in front of the bad guy Jon stood as tall as he could, putting his hands on his hips like his dad did sometimes. The man simply chuckled at him.

 

“Stand aside.” The villain's voice was funny, an accent his mum had called it. Calling up all his strength Jon remained as he was, refusing to let the man take Damian. The man rolled his eyes, moving forward again. Just as the man reached him, clearly intending to shove him aside and take Damian, the villain stopping for a moment, before falling over.

 

Standing behind the man, leaning against a wall and holding his ribs, was Jason. Turning his eyes down Jon saw that there was a small knife buried into the man's neck. Before he could think about that any more, before he could think about the fact that _Jason killed someone_ , Jason fell over, letting out a small groan. Forgetting that there was a dead guy on the floor, a dead guy that Jason had _killed_ , Jon moved forward to help him. It didn't take long to carefully move Jason so that he was sitting next to Damian.

 

“Good job, kid. You protected him.” Jason muttered, leaning against the wall next to Damian. Jon smiled at that, he had protected someone, just like a hero would. With that he sat down on Jason's other side, waiting for him to get his breath back. They'd continue on in the morning.

 

* * *

 

 

**Another place, at much the same time**

 

Aizawa Shota, known to some as the underground hero Eraserhead, was in a bit of a bind. Literally, he was tied up and hanging from the ceiling from some chains. It wouldn't be long before he was free, he had called for backup just as things took a turn for the worst.

 

In the centre of the large warehouse the villain, a small time crook with a Quirk that let him open portals between places, stood in the middle of what looked like some kind of ritualistic circle, intricately drawn sigils and runes drawn in chalk. Oh great, cultists. As if this wasn't bad enough now he had to deal with cultists. The villain in the circle began speaking, raising his voice so that all the other villains, not that there were many, could hear him.

 

“My brother and sister, it is finally time. We shall call forth the Old Gods, and they shall cleanse this world of its so called _heroes_ and usher forth a new dawn! And we shall be rewarded! We shall rule over this world! FOREVER!” Not just cultists, but crazy cultists. Why did he always have to deal with this sort of thing? Just for once he'd like to hear about Endeavour dealing with crazy cultists. Wait, no, that would end horribly.

 

“And now, I call upon the Old Gods!” Blue energy built in the leader's palms, held together in a vague ball shape between his hands. One of the others, a larger man with a Quirk that bolstered the power of other Quirks, shot a beam of red into the leader's back, making the blue ball turn purple and expand. The last of the cultists, a blonde female with an unknown Quirk, knelt down and touched the chalk circle, which seemed to make it light up in green lightning, causing the ball to change colours again. Finally the leader threw the ball, using absolutely horrid technique, at the ceiling above. The ceiling rippled with the energy, forming a gateway above them. Shota absently noticed that the leader moved away as the energy built to a crescendo and three figures fell out of it.

 

The tallest of the figures, favouring one leg, checked on the other two, before turning his attention to the cultists. The lead cultist walked closer, some generic praises on his lips, and knelt before the tallest of the apparent 'Old Gods'. The figure, a teen boy that had dark hair with a white streak, looked around for a moment before standing up straighter, or at least as straight as someone with what looked like a broken leg could stand, and looked down at the cultist.

 

“And who, pray tell, are you supposed to be?” The boy's Japanese was near flawless, his accent being the only thing to give him away.

 

“I am your humble servant, my Master.” From where he hanging, and seriously where was his backup, Shota could all but see the gears turning in the boy's head, a plan coming together. Finally he turned his attention upwards, at Shota himself.

 

“And who is that miserable creature?” Shota had to give credit, for a kid that was making this up as he went he was doing a good job of selling the act.

 

“A hero, he sought to stop your arrival.” Ok, that wasn't entirely true. He had sought to stop them from committing any more theft. They had stolen thousands in jewellery, probably to offer to their gods.

 

“Bring him to me. Your pathetic summons nearly killed me. I need to feed, so that I may recover.” With that the leader, or former leader if he was stepping down for his 'god', threw a portal ball at the chain holding him up, severing the connection and making him fall. Luckily he wasn't too far up. At the boy's signal he was released from his chains and thrown to his feet before the apparent 'god', who lifted him up by his collar and pulled him close.

 

“The kid needs a hospital, he took a knife to the gut, something that falling from the ceiling probably didn't help with. I'm in no condition to fight, so I hope you can handle these guys.” He whispered. A moment of thought, quickly working out the order he would have to take them out, and he nodded. It didn't take long, without the element of surprise it was easy to deal with the three, before he was turning back to the boy, who was sitting on a nearby packing crate. He opened his mouth to ask who he was but was cut off.

 

“I have a broken leg, a head wound, what feels like a cracked rib, and I haven't slept in a week and a half. Right now I am holding myself up by sheer force of will, but that won't last. The kids are malnourished, we could barely stop for a snack these past few days, and the one on the floor took a knife to the gut, I did the best I could but he should get that checked.” The boy, who was looking a little pale, half rambled. Kneeling down a bit Shota looked at his eyes. He seemed unfocused, barely hanging on. The kids looked worried, the boy looked like he was about to fall over, and Shota wasn't sure what he'd do because the cultists took his phone and he couldn't leave them while he went and looked for it.

 

That was, of course, when Hizashi blew up the far wall.

 

* * *

 

 

Shota was in the hospital, waiting for the boy to wake up.

 

The younger boy didn't speak Japanese, and didn't look like he was in the mood for conversation even if they got a translator in, the older was asleep in his bed, having eaten some soup that the doctors has forced on them both before he was allowed to sleep, and the boy with the white streak in his hair had fallen into unconsciousness on the trip to the hospital, and as such there wasn't anyone to answer questions about where they were from.

 

It was as he was talking to some police, just finalising the details about the cultists before he sent in his official report, that it happened. From where he was, just around the corner from the boys, he saw a few doctors and nurses go running past. Following them, the police officers right behind him, revealed the empty bed of the oldest boy.

 

Following a hunch Shota walked down to the next room, where the younger two were, and found the older boy, half concussed and with his leg in a cast, crawling into an empty bed, the other two boys curled up together in the other.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it, I certainly did.
> 
> If you have any questions, just ask. If you have any tags you want to suggest, just say (I am horrible at tagging).
> 
> And yes, I totally intend for Damian and Jon to meet Izuku in a few chapters.


	2. In which Jon makes an enemy for life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio go shopping, Jason gets a job, Damian is a brat, and Jon makes a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the warm welcome, it's always a bit scary jumping into a new fandom, so I'm glad people are enjoying this.
> 
> Right, something I need to cover: ages. In canon Damian is three years older than Jon, which would make him nine in this fic. I decided that I wanted them the same age, so they're both six in this. Jason is seventeen, and for the sake of convenience he looks his age despite being dead for more than half a decade.
> 
> Discord Link

The trio had been on this new world for two weeks, and so far they had yet to find a way back. The cultists had vanished from police custody, broken out by an accomplice was the current theory, and no one wanted to try and send them back without them, something about minor differences between similar Quirks that could drastically change the outcome of such an attempt.

 

Speaking of Quirks, it was the use of some healing abilities the doctors had that got Jason back on his feet so fast. He wasn't meant to do anything too strenuous, but he was let out of the hospital.

 

It turned out that while visitors from other universes were new, a precedent _did_ exist for people who needed help, usually amnesiacs or the like. To that end the three of them had been set up in a nice apartment, located in a good neighbourhood, and were given a small allowance to tide them over until Jason found a better solution.

 

The first thing Jason did with his new money, as little of it as they had, was go and buy an English/Japanese dictionary so that he could start teaching Jon the local language. He _had_ considered going to this world's version of America, but if Bruce and/or Clark turned up looking for them they would probably end up in Japan, so best to stay where they were.

 

It was while the three of them were out shopping, might as well grab some other stuff while they were out, that the place was attacked by a villain. The villain in question, some big muscle bound freak who's head was on fire, was apparently robbing the place, if the way he was taking jewellery and the like was any indication.

 

Rolling his eyes Jason walked forward, telling the boys to wait for him at the food court, this shouldn't take long. Jason considered letting the locals deal with it, they had their own heroes, but someone could get hurt before they got here, so he might as well deal with this himself.

 

As he walked into the store he saw that the big guy was harassing a customer, clearly having fun with the power he held over him. First things first, move attention away from the helpless civilian.

 

“Hey, ugly!” Ok, not his best opening but it seemed to do the job, as the villain turned to him. Jason took the time to look him over, about six and a half feet tall, cliché biker jacket, looked like he took _way_ too many steroids, and of course his head was fire. This shouldn't take long.

 

“What?” The villain growled, smashing his hand through another display case. Jason strolled up fearless, his hands in his pockets, he had dealt with worse than one over muscled punk.

 

“You're disturbing the peace, stop it.” Jason could have sworn he used to be better at this. Probably just out of practice, he technically hasn't had to quip at bad guys for over six years. The brute walked up to Jason, letting the customer get away, lurking over him in an attempt to intimidate him. Jason just leaned back a bit, raising an eyebrow.

 

“And who's going to make me? There's no heroes around.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Hello, can I get some service?” Honestly, how hard was it to get a damn sandwich at this place? The villain attack was on the other side of the plaza, and it was just a guy robbing stores, so why was no one here? Deciding that no one was going to come Jason jumped the counter and got to work making his own sandwich. Once done he left some money behind, wedged under a salt shaker that he grabbed from a nearby table, and walked back to the boys.

 

“So, I was thinking that you two should be enrolled at the local school.” He commented as he sat down, taking a bite of his sandwich. The boys had apparently done as he did and made their own sandwiches, either that or they had gotten their food before the people ran off.

 

“What?” Damian sounded completely offended. “You want me to go to _public school_ with peasants?!”

 

“First: don't call people peasants, it's rude.” Jason told him, earning an eye roll from Damian. “Second: yes, you need an education and I can't afford anything better. Now, finish your lunch, when we get back to the apartment we'll have things to work on, most importantly teaching Jon Japanese.”

 

Jon, who had been very quiet since their arrival in this new world, turned his head up at that. As soon as he saw Jason he flinched and turned his head back down. Deciding that this had gone on long enough Jason move his chair so he was sitting next to Jon. When Jon didn't say anything, apparently finding his shoes very interesting, Jason took initiative.

 

“I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong.” He told the kid. After a long moment Jon finally answered.

 

“You killed someone.” It was quiet, nearly a whisper, but Jason heard it nonetheless. Putting his arm around the boy he pulled Jon close to him.

 

“Yes, yes I did.” He said honestly. “Some people get to be like your dad, a unbreakable symbol of justice. But some people don't get to be like that, we don't get to stand in the light and do good things. Some us, like me, we do bad things for good reasons. We do bad things, sometimes terrible things, so that people like your dad don't have to.”

 

“So... so you don't feel bad.” He sounded lost, as if he wasn't sure what to do with this new information. Jason pulled him close again, awkwardly hugging the half breed.

 

“I do. A little.” And he did, but... “I feel bad that I had to do that, but doing that saved you and Damian. And I don't feel bad about protecting you.”

 

“If... if I become a hero, will I have to do that? Bad things for good reasons?” Jon sounded a bit better, still lost and confused, but better.

 

“Don't be stupid.” Damian told him, having apparently stopped sulking about going to school. “That's why you have me.”

 

“Like a team?” Unlike the lost and confused tone that he had just before Jon now sounded excited at the idea of being on a team with Damian.

 

“Of course.” If Jon noticed that Damian said that in a way that implied he was stupid for even asking he didn't say anything. With Jon seeming to have worked through his problem, although Jason suspected that he'd have to have another talk with him later, the rest of their meal was quick.

 

As they walked out they were stopped by the same customer that Jason had saved, who wanted to repay Jason for saving his life. Jason very much doubted that he was in any danger of that, but he kept his mouth shut. The man offered Jason a job: teaching self defence. A bit of back and forth and Jason walked away with a phone number and a promise to talk later, as they both had places to be.

 

* * *

 

 

There were two new people in Izuku's class, transfer students from America the teacher said. They introduced themselves as Jon, who gave a somewhat rambling speech in broken Japanese, and Damian, who only gave his name before walking to an empty chair. Judging by the eye roll that Jon gave as he went to his own seat this sort of thing must have been common for the other boy.

 

Izuku, being the curious sort, sat down with them at lunch, much to the obvious, if silent, displeasure of Damian. Jon lit up at the sight of him however, clearly happy to have some company, he even moved so that Izuku could sit between the two. Chatting with Jon, and it was just Jon as Damian only watched out of the corner of his eye and never spoke, was fun. Sure, he was a bit slow to speak, he explained that he was still learning Japanese, but he was a nice person nonetheless.

 

When the topic of heroes came up, as it always did with Izuku, he wasn't surprised to hear that Jon, and supposedly Damian, intended to be heroes. Jon explained said he had a body enhancement Quirk, he was faster, stronger, more durable, and had better senses than most people. Damian, Izuku was both shocked and pleased to learn, had no Quirk. This was, unfortunately, a fact that Kacchan overheard.

 

“You think some Quirkless loser like you can be a hero?!” He demanded, slamming his hands into the table, causing minor explosions. While Izuku and Jon flinched at the small explosions Damian just kept eating, not paying Kacchan any mind. Not taking his being ignored easily Kacchan moved his hand back, clearly intending to attack Damian, who still didn't move at all. Izuku closed his eyes, not wanting to watch Damian get blasted.

 

A gust of wind, a loud _bang_ , and the distinct lack of someone crying out in pain made Izuku open his eyes, only to see Jon's back. Turning to his right Izuku saw that yes, Jon had stood up, moved past Izuku, and had blocked Kacchan's attack in time to protect Damian, who was still eating his sandwich. Standing up and moving past Jon, who hadn't moved, Izuku saw that Jon had grabbed Kacchan's right wrist, stopping him.

 

“Don't.” Throughout their conversation Jon had been mostly cheerful, barring a few moments when he struggled with the language barrier. His voice now was different, reminding Izuku of some of the heroes he had seen on TV. He sounded serious, dangerous even.

 

“Let go of me!” Kacchan demanded, trying to free his right arm. When that didn't seem to work, Jon barely moved when Kacchan tried to pull his arm free, he struck with his left hand, aiming for Jon's face, only to have that wrist be claimed in another iron grip.

 

“Don't.” Jon repeated. Kacchan managed turn his hands, angling them towards Jon's face, and letting out some small blasts. Jon closed his eyes, barely flinching at the explosions, before letting Kacchan go. Before he could celebrate his victory Jon finally attacked, pushing Kacchan away. Kacchan was thrown away, sliding to a stop halfway across the cafeteria.

 

* * *

 

 

Jon looked up as he heard someone approach. After he had pushed the kid across the cafeteria he had been sent to the principal's office. Well, the chairs outside the principal's office. He was to wait there until Jason arrived, which he just did.

 

“Are you OK?” Was the first thing that Jason asked, waiting until he nodded before continuing. “Good. Now, what happened? Tell me everything.”

 

So he told Jason what happened, about the mean kid that tried to attack Damian, about Damian's silence, and about the new friend he made. Through it all Jason just stood there, nodding and asking questions whenever he wanted to know something. After it all Jason opened the door and walked into the office. The conversation was fast, and Jon didn't catch most of it, but he saw that Jason wasn't happy with whatever the principal was saying. At the end Jason turned to him and told him that he would be at home for the next few days, as punishment for being involved in the fight.

 

“So how much trouble am I in?” Jon asked as they walked out of the school and started the trek back to their apartment. Luckily they only lived a few minutes away by foot, so it wouldn't take them long to get back.

 

“Officially? A lot, the school isn't happy that you got in a fight on your first day. Unofficially? Not a lot. You were protecting someone from a bully, and I won't punish you for that. I want you to try and resolve things peacefully in the future though, I don't want to be called again unless it's serious, got it.” Jason explained. Jon nodded at that, promising he'd do better.

 

* * *

 

 

“Why didn't you do anything?” Jason asks when Damian gets home.

 

“I knew Jon could handle it.” Was all Damian had to say in return.

 

“He wouldn't have had to 'handle it', as you say, if you hadn't ignored that kid.” That actually made Damian stop.

 

“I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause trouble.” Sometimes it was hard to remember that for all his training and skill Damian was still a kid. Kneeling down Jason pulled Damian into a hug, ignoring the way that Damian froze up at the contact. A moment later and Damian returned the hug, burying his face in the crook of Jason's neck.

 

“Just try not to start anything, OK?” Jason asked, feeling Damian nod in reply. After a moment Jason let the boy go, returning to his feet. “Now, run along. I want you to have your homework done in time, or there won't be any dessert.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus begins Jon's career as Damian's bodyguard.
> 
> The next few chapters will jump about a bit, showing the years leading up to the actual show, mainly following Damian, Jon, and Izuku. So that's something to look forward to.
> 
> If you spot any mistakes, please let me know. If you have any questions, just ask. And if you have any suggestions, either for the fic itself or the tags (which I am never happy with), I'm happy to hear/read them.


	3. Time Marches Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A series of snippets in the months following the last chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating faster, I got hit with writers block. Plus I found this chapter a bit hard to do, apparently random snippets like this isn't my sort of thing. I'll try and have the next chapter have plot progression or something, see if that helps.
> 
> Discord Link

“What do you think, nice huh?” Jason asked, looking around their new apartment. The old one belonged to a charity organisation or branch of government or something, and with Jason having a job he was asked to move out, so that some other needy person could move in. With a bit of work Jason managed to find a new apartment that was within walking distance of both the school and Jason's job.

 

“It's alright.” Damian said, giving the room they were currently in, what would be Jon's bedroom, a careful look over. Neither of the boys had been pleased about the move, not that Jason was jumping for joy at the thought, but they had handled it alright. At least, Jason thought so.

 

“Good, I'm glad you like it.” Jason had a job, the kids were getting an education, and they were building a new home together. This... this was the start of their new lives.

 

* * *

 

 

“Go back to bed, Jon.” Jason ordered, not looking away from the bathroom mirror.

 

“I heard you screaming.” Jon explained, not moving from the doorway. After a moment, just long enough to muster his strength, Jason turned around, walking over to the doorway, and crouching down in front of the boy.

 

“Just a nightmare, nothing to worry about.” Jason reassured Jon, picking him up and taking him back to his room.

 

“What was the nightmare about?” Jon asked once he was back in bed. Jason froze, just for a second, his nightmare echoing in his mind.

 

“ _Tell the big man I said... 'hello'.”_

 

“A monster, that's all. Just a scary monster. Go to sleep, your first day back at school is tomorrow, so you should get some rest.”

 

With that Jason made his way back to his room, digging out the headphones and laptop he had bought a few days earlier.

 

Three in the morning was a perfectly normal time to start the day, wasn't it?

 

* * *

 

 

“He's blind in his left eye, or near enough anyway.” Mister Jason commented, looking at the news footage of All Might, who was fighting a villain, Toxic Chainsaw. Over the past few months Izuku had started hanging out with Jon and Damian more, to the point where he sometimes visited their apartment, which wasn't too far from his own home, like today.

 

“What?” Izuku asked, turning to look at Mister Jason. Mister Jason smiled at Izuku for a moment, like the teachers did when a student asked a really good question, before turning back to the screen and explaining.

 

“Toxic Chainsaw, he's trying to keep All Might away from his left side. Probably because he's got some kind of problem with his left eye.” Turning back to the footage, which was taken from a nearby helicopter, Izuku could see what he meant. Every time All Might got on Toxic Chainsaw's left side he would turn, keeping All Might to his right.

 

“How'd you see that?” Izuku asked, watching as Toxic Chainsaw twisted through the air, throwing tendrils of green liquid at All Might. The attacks missed, All Might was too fast to get hit, but the liquid seemed to eat through whatever else it hit.

 

“It's nothing special.” Mister Jason said as All Might tackled Toxic Chainsaw into a building, the toxic green liquid twisting and turning as it seemed to try and eat the building whole. “I'm just observant.”

 

All Might made it out of course, he was seen handing Toxic Chainsaw over to the cops a few minutes later, but he wasn't seen much over the next few weeks.

 

* * *

 

 

“Ok, let's start with the basics. Make a fist.” Jon was instructed. Jon, Damian, and Jason were on the roof of the apartment building, which Jason had decided to use for the kids' hero training, which was to be held when they got home after school. Holding out his hand Jon formed a fist, letting Jason, who was standing in front of him, see it.

 

“Now, if you were to punch someone like that you run the risk of breaking the bones in your thumb. Do it like this.” Jason showed Jon his hand, letting him see where he rested his thumb. Jason made Jon clench and unclench his hand until he did it right five times in a row.

 

The rest of the day wasn't much more exciting than that for the young hybrid, with Jason going over the basics, from how to stand when fighting to how to throw a punch. Jon was made to repeat these again and again until he did it right, sometimes it was because his feet were too close together, leading him to being knocked over easily, other times it was because he stretched his arm out too far, which made Jason poke him in the ribs with a stick.

 

Damian was training as well. At first he was upset, he had long since passed the basics, but Jason insisted that it was important. After much grumbling, because Damian could never simply _do_ something, he relented, going through stances under Jason's eye.

 

Every now and then Jason would pose a question to one of them. Sometimes it was about how to handle a hostage situation, other times it was about catching a bank robber. A few times he would quiz Jon on his language skills, making him repeat phrases in English or Japanese.

 

Even Jason was getting in on the action, although he denied wanting to be a hero like them, doing simple exercises, push ups and sit ups mostly, as he watched them.

 

* * *

 

 

Another night, another nightmare.

 

More often than not Jason found himself waking up in the dead of night, trying to swallow a scream so as not to wake up the kids. He guessed he was successful, because neither of them ever mentioned it, even Jon seemed to have forgotten about it after that night.

 

Jason wished that the nightmares were the only problem, but he had noticed that his death and resurrection had left their marks on him. He had found himself twitchy around anything clown related, he was incapable of being in water that went higher than his knees (and even that was pushing it), and the one time he had worn a scarf, a gift from one of his students, he had felt like it was trying to strangle him.

 

As Jason got up to start the day he looked at the clock in his room. Four thirty, not bad, not compared to some nights anyway. He relocated from his bedroom to the living room, lying down on the couch with his laptop. He had spent the last few months doing research on the various heroes of this world. His latest interest was All Might, the top hero in the country. He was also one of the few heroes with a secret identity. Oh sure, some heroes names were less than public, but they _were_ on official public records. All Might was different, there was no official document, no identification, nothing. As far as the public could tell All Might didn't have a civilian name.

 

But Jason wasn't the public.

 

Sure, he wasn't as good at hacking as Bruce, but he got by. He focused on hospitals, mainly in the time following the battle again Toxic Chainsaw. All Might had vanished after that, for three months, and these days he wasn't seen for more than a few hours at a time, a far cry from the public appearances he used to do, some of which had him in front of cameras for twelve hours at a time. Nowadays people were lucky to get two. Something had happened, and the so called Symbol of Peace was trying to hide it from people.

 

Finally, after months of searching and hacking into various databases he found something concrete: a date that an operation was performed. Sure, the name 'All Might' was what was on the record, and it was vague as to the nature of the operation, but it had happened. Four days _after_ the battle with Toxic Chainsaw, and yet the records indicated that it was an emergency operation. But...

 

A quick check confirmed his suspicions, All Might was not in any known battle in the days leading up to this secret operation. So, All Might battles some secret enemy, undergoes a secret operation to survive said battle, and is now hiding the aftereffects from the public.

 

Conclusion: All Might was dying.

 

So, somewhere out there was a villain so bad, so evil, that their mere existence was kept from the public? Sounded like the kind of person Jason needed to know about.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know the drill, typos: suggestions, random thoughts, tags to be added, just comment and let me know.
> 
> Also, I wrote a Lilo and Stitch/Iron Man (Films) crossover, so check that out if your interested. I'm only mentioning it because I wanted to know if people would like to see more of it, and it hasn't gotten that much attention (I'll try not to do this sort of thing in the future, I just want to know whether I should waste my time writing more of a story no one seems to be reading).


	4. There's Fire in His Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku trains, Jon burns, and Damian thinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, it's a good thing I never promised any kind of regular upload schedule. Between writers block (which seems to crop up every other day), and my tendency to write half a chapter of one thing and then get distracted by another, it would just leave you all disappointed.
> 
> Anyway, yeah, new chapter. Sorry it took a while, but it's here. According to my plan, which is subject to the whims of me, next chapter should be Izuku's meeting with All Might. Maybe. We'll see.
> 
> Also, as of this chapter Damian, Jon, and Izuku are eight. This means it's been about two years since they arrived.
> 
> Anyways, onto: more character stuff with little to no plot (I swear one day something will actually happen in this fic and you'll all be amazed).
> 
> Discord Link

“You guys train right? To be heroes?” Izuku asked at lunch one day. He was at his usual spot: sitting between the cheerful Jon and the mostly silent Damian. Damian gotten friendlier over the months, participating in conversations more than when they first met. He was still quiet, letting Jon do most of the talking, but he actually talked to Izuku now. “Do you think... I could join you?”

 

“If you want.” One of the skills Izuku had picked up during his time with Jon and Damian was the ability to hear Damian's comments, which often sounded dismissive or mean spirited, and understand what the other boy meant. In this case Izuku knew that despite his tone, which made it sound like Damian didn't care, he was actually interested.

 

That was how, with his mother's permission, Izuku found himself on the apartment rooftop, ready to begin training.

 

“Let's start with the basics.” Mister Jason said, crouching down in front of Izuku and holding up a hand, palm out. “Punch my hand.”

 

Deciding to trust him, he had come to learn after all, Izuku balled up his fist and swung at Mister Jason's hand. Just before his fist hit its target Mister Jason's hand moved, jabbing a finger into Izuku's ribs. It didn't hurt, but it did make him stop.

 

“If you do a wide swing like that it leaves you completely open to someone faster than you. You should punch like this.” With that Mister Jason showed him how to punch, making him do it again and again until he got it right.

 

* * *

 

 

Jon's eyes itched.

 

Jon's eyes had felt a bit funny, like something was scratching at the back of them this morning. Allergy, Jason said, probably just a minor reaction to something. Jason promised to take him to a doctor if it got worse, but he had to go to school today. Unfortunately it got worse. By lunch it felt like someone was rubbing sandpaper against the back of his eyes.

 

As he sat and ate lunch he couldn't help but rub at them, trying in vain to stop the itchy feeling. He tried, unsuccessfully, to ignore the itch. It was as he was talking to Izuku, about a video of All Might saving people from a burning building, when the feeling behind his eyes suddenly turned from “very irritating” to “pain was gone, but they feel really warm”. A moment later and the table had two small holes bored through it.

 

And that was how Jon's heat vision activated.

 

* * *

 

 

“Right, let's try something new.” Mister Jason said as the three boys walked onto the roof. Izuku had been coming here for three weeks now, every few days in fact. And while he couldn't come here everyday, he had promised he wouldn't, he could keep training. Mister Jason had given him a routine, simple exercises that he could do at home.

 

“We've gone over punches enough for now, but you can't always hit villains. Let me ask you a question, you're up against someone with an Quirk, that makes their skin as hard as steel. Like Jon.” Mister Jason commented, coming to some realisation. “Let's say you're fighting Jon, you know can't hit Jon, his body is too tough for that. So, what do you do?”

 

It took a moment to realise that Mister Jason was expecting an answer, which sent Izuku's mind racing to find an answer. He was right, Izuku wasn't nearly strong enough to punch Jon, who had taken Kacchan's explosions like they were nothing, so what could he do? Maybe if he had some rope he could tie Jon up. No, that wouldn't work, Jon was strong enough to break out of rope. Wait! Jon closed his eyes when Kacchan tried to blast him! So his eyes weren't as protected as the rest of his body. Now if only Izuku had some sand, or something else he could throw in Jon's face. And then Jon would be blinded and Izuku could.... wait, just because Jon was blinded didn't mean that he could suddenly be hurt, Izuku still needed a way to actually do something. Maybe he could...

 

A sharp whistle pierced Izuku's thoughts, making the boy's head snap up to look at Mister Jason, who was lowering his hand from his mouth.

 

“Okay, now that I've gotten you out of your head, would you like to know the answer?” Mister Jason asked, smiling at Izuku. After Izuku nodded Mister Jason continued. “If you're fighting someone stronger than you then you need to be faster. If you can't be faster, then you need to be smarter. If you could knock him off balance, like throwing sand in his eyes and then taking out his feet from under him, you'd be able to bring him down. After that it's just a matter of restraining them. Since you don't have a Quirk you'll probably want some kind of knockout gas, or a good taser, that way you can take out villains that are stronger than you _without_ breaking your hand.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Alright, I want you to open your eyes.” Jason said, crouching down behind Jon. Jason had expected this. Sort of. He was ashamed to admit that he didn't realise what Jon gaining the ability to shoot lasers out of his eyes would entail. Sure, Jason knew Jon would one day gain the power, but he completely blanked on the fact that Jon had to learn to _not_ shoot lasers out of his eyes.

 

So there they were, in a safe environment designed for powerful Quirk usage. With pretty much everyone having Quirks, and some of them being dangerous without control, it was a simple matter for the school to get Jon into the government run facility. The fact that Jon's new power appeared only three hours ago just made it slightly more impressive. The people running this facility had offered to step in if need be, but in their opinion Jon would respond better to Jason than some people he didn't know.

 

After a moment of hesitation Jon opened his eyes, only to close them again when the wall across from him was scarred by heat. Just as Jon's breath was starting to speed up, an oncoming panic attack no doubt, Jason put his hand on his hands on Jon's shoulders and gave the hybrid a gentle squeeze. The reminder that Jason was there seemed to return some of Jon's confidence, as his breathing evened out.

 

“Hey, it's okay. You can do this. If you can control your strength you can control this.” Jason encouraged. Another silent moment, shorter this time, followed by Jon opening his eyes. Instead of the laser sharp heat the wall was pelted by a wave of burning force, bowing inward slightly under the assault. Over the next few seconds the beams grew weaker and weaker, until they cut off completely. A heartbeat later and they were back on. Then off. After a few more repetitions the beams stayed off, Jon's test of his control complete. After a second, just to make sure that Jon had it under control, Jason moved directly in front Jon, putting himself in the firing line. It was there that he noted something interesting: Jon's eyes were burning red with the contained power.

 

“Pull back a bit more, your eyes are red.” Jason commented, not worried in the least. Once Jon had pulled the last of the power back behind his eyes he all but threw himself into Jason's arms, throwing his arms around Jason. In return Jason grabbed the eight year old, carrying him to the door of the room they were in, kicking it open with his leg.

 

“Let's go home.”

 

* * *

 

 

Damian was worried.

 

As much as he didn't show it Damian _did_ care for Jon. It was just that the boy found it hard to express his emotions, not having had much experience doing so before Jason had taken him from his mother.

 

So when Jon, who was holding a hand over his eyes to block the laser vision, was led off to get help Damian's reaction, instead of expressing his worry like others might, was to turn back to his lunch and continue eating.

 

“Do you think he'll be okay?” Izuku, who was still sitting next to Damian, asked. Izuku was... difficult for Damian. The boy was always so full of energy, always happy to talk about something related to heroes, and Damian honestly found it a bit hard to keep up with the cheerful boy. Jon was much the same, often cheerful and upbeat, but for some reason Damian found Jon much easier to be around than Izuku.

 

“Jon will be fine.” There was absolutely no reason to worry. Jon's father could use heat vision just fine, so it stood to reason that Jon would be able to as well. Damian knew this, knew that there was absolutely no reason to worry at all. So why was he?

 

“If you're sure...” Izuku said, trailing off.

 

“I am.” Damian replied, trying to put the issue out of his mind.

 

“So... Did you see the video of All Might saving people from a burning building?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damian... is tricky for me to write. I've done him more than one disservice in other fics, and I want to try and fix that here. This was my attempt at that. Hopefully moving forward I'll do a better job at writing him.
> 
> Don't really have much else to say, so uh... bye, I guess.
> 
> As always comments, criticisms, suggestions, all of it is welcome in the comment section.


	5. I'm (not) Batman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More powers, Jason is Batman (or close enough), and Jon and Damian both have feelings for the other (that they know will never be returned)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes three weeks between chapters one time and gets the next one out in days. My writing is weird.
> 
> Anyway, yeah. Got this one done fast. Surprised myself even.
> 
> Also, sorry, so sorry. This chapter WAS going to have Izuku's meeting with All Might, but it got postponed. I'l try and have it in the next chapter.
> 
> And I FINALLY got to adding some of the promised shipping in this fic. It's not much, yet, and it will never be the primary focus of this story, but it's there, and I think I made Jon a little creepier than intended, but it's there.
> 
> Discord Link

Jon's flight powers kicked in shortly after his heat vision.

 

It was a bit of a shock, him waking up to find the ceiling much closer than it had been when he went to bed. Of course that was nothing next to the shock of Izuku's scream, the other boy having a sleepover at the time, when he saw Jon floating above his bed. The scream caught the attention of Jason, who was making pancakes for breakfast, and Damian, who was just waking up in the next room. The resulting rush to find out what was going on ended in Jason burning the pancakes, and Damian kicking in the door while holding a large knife.

 

A few minutes later, after Jason had dealt with the burnt pancakes, the three boys were sitting on the couch waiting for Jason to speak. After a moment, in which the three watched him pace back and forth a bit, he spoke.

 

“Okay. Let's start with the easiest thing: Damian, why do you have a knife?” Jason demanded, levelling Damian with a vicious glare.

 

“It helps me feel safe...” The boy muttered after a moment, looking down. Another silent moment passed, with Jason staring at the ceiling in thought, before he sighed.

 

“Where did you get it?” Jason demanded.

 

“The kitchen...”

 

“We'll get you a pocket knife, or a switchblade, so you don't stab yourself in your sleep. But no more stealing from the kitchen, got it?”

 

“Yes.” Damian nodded. With one problem dealt with, for now anyway, Jason turned to Jon.

 

“You can fly.” He stated, giving Jon an expectant look. Taking his cue Jon started explaining what happened.

 

“I just woke up and was floating above my bed. This is the first time it happened, I promise.” Jon rushed to reassure.

 

“We'll work flight training into your schedule.” Was all Jason had to say on the matter. Those two done he turned to Izuku, who looked more confused than worried. He wasn't entirely sure why he was sitting on the couch as well, but he assumed Jason had something important to say to him. This was proven correct when Jason turned to him, causing Izuku to sit up a bit straighter in anticipation.

 

“You have questions.” Again, it was a statement. With permission given Izuku started talking.

 

“Jon can fly! But his Quirk just enhances his body, or at least that's what you told me when I first asked. I thought his heat vision meant that he was just manipulating some kind of internal energy, but if that's the case how does he fly?” Izuku rambled, trying to work out how Jon's Quirk worked.

 

“Alright, I'll explain, but you have to promise to _never_ speak of this to anyone. Can you do that?” Jason asked.

 

“Yes...”

 

“Okay, here it is: Jon's an alien hybrid.”  
  


* * *

 

 

The call came in on a Tuesday, just before lunch.

 

Jason had been sent home, his boss being investigated for insurance fraud, when the school called. They were attacked, some group overrunning one of the busses and taking some of the kids, including Damian and Izuku. Jon, and everyone that hadn't been taken, was being sent home.

 

Jon looked devastated when he arrived, and what Jason was going to do wasn't going to help with that.

 

“Did you see anything? Tattoos, brands? Something that could help identify the kidnappers?” He asked, after having given Jon a hug, calming them both down a bit. Jon explained what he saw, and while it wasn't much, it was enough for Jason to know where to start: a businessman he had been keeping an eye on for connections to drug trafficking.

 

“You remember the way to Izuku's?” Jason asked, at Jon's nod he stood up and made his way to his room. He kicked the door around, not quite closed but enough to gain some brief privacy. He worked quickly, having prepared for this the second the call from the school had ended. It only took a few moments to get changed, experience making his hands move swiftly.

 

When he opened the door he knelt down by Jon, who's eyes had widened at the sight of what he was wearing.

 

“Go to Izuku's, his mum will take care of you. I'll be back in time to make you breakfast, okay?” He honestly didn't know what he'd do if Jon asked him to stay. He didn't want to leave Jon alone, but he equally didn't want to leave Damian trapped with the kidnappers for a second longer than he had to.

 

“Are you going to get Damian?” Jon asked, looking over his outfit.

 

“Yes.” And he would. He refused to fail.

 

“I thought you said you weren't a hero.”

 

“I'm not. I'm a vigilante.”

 

* * *

 

“Wake up.”

 

The voice cut through Kai's head. As the kidnapper came to the first thing he saw was the scary looking figure standing in front of him.

 

They were tall, bulky, dressed in black and red. A black shirt with a red marking on the chest, a red vest over that with a hood that cast his face into shadow, red gloves that went halfway up his arms, bulky grey pants, and thick boots that went halfway up to his knee completed the look. When he stepped forward a bit, letting the light hit his face, Kai could see a metallic looking mask that covered their mouth and nose, while a domino mask covered their eyes.

 

“I want answers, and you're going to give them to me.” The hero, it was one Kai didn't recognise but it had to be a hero, demanded.

 

“And why the hell should I tell you anything?” Kai wondered. His answer came in the form of a light shove. What Kai hadn't noticed, focused on the hero as he was, was that he was perched on the railing of his balcony. The shove pushed him over the edge, leaving a rope that was tied around his feet as his only lifeline. From his new perspective Kai had a great look at the ground, thirty floors down from his penthouse.

 

“Where are the kids?” The hero asked, sounding bored. After a moment the hero apparently decided he wasn't going to get an answer, because they took a long, thin blade off of his back and held the edge of the weapon over the rope. “Talk.”

 

Kai talked, explaining everything to the lunatic. He wasn't a hero, no hero threatens to drop someone off of a thirty story building. The maniac pulled him back up, barely giving Kai time to react before his head is slammed into the railing he had just been hanging over, knocking him out.

 

* * *

 

 

Damian watched, waiting for any opportunity to act. He doubted it would come, he was tied up, alongside Izuku and another six of their class. The guards, and he had counted seven in total, were patrolling the warehouse they were hiding in, apparently waiting for some kind of pick up to happen. Not only was Damian taken from his school, tied up in some dank warehouse, kept up until what felt like midnight, this was only the halfway point.

 

Although, they may not be here for much longer. Damian had heard a fight outside, a few of the kidnappers, or maybe they were actually traffickers, hadn't reported back in. The leader, or at least what Damian assumed was the leader, was yelling into a radio, trying to get some kind of an answer.

 

“ _Sorry.”_ A menacing voice came over the radio. _“But the criminal you are trying to reach has been rendered unconscious, would you like to leave a message?”_

 

“Who the hell are you?” The leader demanded.

 

“ _I'm the guy that has taken out four, wait...”_ A distant _thud_ was heard from somewhere else in the warehouse, the voice continuing a moment later. _“...five of your goons.”_

 

“Well, why don't you come in?” The leader mockingly invited. “And let me put some bullets in your chest.”

 

“ _...”_

 

“What, to chicken to say anything?”

 

“ _No, I was just busy dealing with last of your thugs.”_

 

“When I find you I'm going to kill you.” The leader growled into his radio, turning in circles, radio in one hand, some kind of black mist building up in the other.

 

“ _...”_

 

“I'm going to shoot you in the kneecaps, and then I'm going to bath these kids in your blood!”

 

“ _...”_

 

“Where are you?!”

 

“Here.”

 

* * *

 

 

By the time Jon is thirteen he has most, if not all, of his powers. His favourite, for perhaps all the wrong reasons, is his X-Ray vision.

 

When he first got it, nearly a year ago now, Jason had given him a very long talk, about how he wasn't to use it to peek on girls. But the thing was: Jon had never felt the need to peek at _girls_ with it.

 

At the moment Jon was sick in bed, apparently he was human enough to catch the common cold. But he couldn't find it in him to complain, not when he was using his favourite power to pass the time. The apartment the three lived at was on the top floor, meaning there was nothing besides his ceiling between him and the roof. This meant he had a front row seat to what he considered the best view in the whole city: Damian training on the roof.

 

Whether by choice or by chance Damian's favoured training spot was just above Jon's room, meaning that when Damian started doing push ups, shirtless due to the summer heat, Jon had a perfect view of his body. Now, Jon was no pervert, he made sure to never turn his gaze lower than Damian's belly, and he never looked in on anyone while they were in the bathroom. And it wasn't like this was something Jon _needed_ X-Ray vision to see, Damian would remain shirtless even if Jon were to go up to the roof right that minute. The only thing Jon's power let him do was see it from a different angle than usual.

 

No, Jon had never felt the need to turn his X-Ray vision on girls. Even other boys didn't catch his interest as much as Damian did. And while he never did anything about it, he did find himself wondering what the rest of Damian's body looked like.

 

Jon was well aware that he had a massive crush on the other boy, and he knew that Damian didn't exactly reciprocate his feelings.

 

* * *

 

 

Damian, having come in from his training on the roof, dug out the locked journal he kept in his room, flipping through until he found a semi-completed page. When he wasn't busy with training or school the thirteen year old liked to draw, having taken a liking to the hobby during his time at home after his kidnapping. The journal, one of six, was half filled with drawings of exactly one topic: Jon.

 

Damian wasn't sure what it was, and he wasn't sure when it had happened, but he had come to the realisation that he had feelings for Jon. To that end he had channelled those feelings into something creative: his drawings. His current one, depicting Jon in the classic 'Superman' pose, was probably his best yet.

 

Damian was well aware that he had a massive crush on the other boy, and he knew that Jon didn't exactly reciprocate his feelings.

 

* * *

 

 

Jason, having dealt with this idiocy for a year now, was fast approaching the end of his rope.

 

The boys had come to him about their crushes mere days apart, Damian beating out Jon by less than a week, and had asked for help. They had also both asked the same thing of him: not to tell the other. For a year now, give or take two weeks, Jason had kept his word, not mentioning to either of the boys that their feelings were in fact returned. But as time went on it became harder and harder for Jason to keep that promise. Not because of the burden of keeping such important secrets, not because lying was bad, no. It was because for a year now Jason had to deal with each of the boys _pining_ for the other.

 

Jason was well aware that each of the boys had a massive crush on the other, and he knew that each boy reciprocated those feelings.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, if all goes well, should get us through the meeting with All Might, the ten months of training leading up to the UA entrance exam, and the exam itself.
> 
> Again, not sure if I am doing right by some of these characters, but I'm trying by best.
> 
> Also, for those that wondering, I am using Jason's redesigned outfit that they gave him last year, the one where he actually has a hood and not a helmet. Still like the helmet, but I wanted to try my hand at the new outfit.
> 
> Fun fact: there was a scrapped scene in this where Jason started telling of how Bruce and Clark met in this reality. It faded off to a scene change just as he was saying what Bruce's first words to Clark were: "Stop the train, I'll deal with the vampires". One day I need to write THAT story, just to see where it goes.
> 
> As always, thoughts, suggestions, noted typos, all are welcome in the comment section.


	6. The Journey of a Thousand Miles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku meets All Might, the boys train, and the entrance exam is taken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry. This should not have taken anywhere near as long as this to get this chapter out. I won't promise I'll do better, because I don't want to make a promise I don't know if I can keep, but I will promise to try.
> 
> Anyway, this chapter is finally out, and we move on to one of the scenes I was kinda interested to do: the entrance exam. I didn't spend much time on it, cutting Izuku's part entirely, but it's finally up.
> 
> I want to try and have the next chapter to carry us to the USJ Attack. After that is... the Sport's Festival, the Apprenticeship, Stain, the Final's Exam, the Summer Camp, and then the fight with All For One (if I'm missing anything please tell me).
> 
> Now, I want to make it clear what kind of fic this is, just to avoid confusion going forward. This is not a slice of life fic, taking the time between arcs to build up the characters. You want to read a fic like that go read Yesterday Upon the Stair. Actually, do that anyway, that fic is awesome. I may do chapters focusing on character stuff, and I will endeavour (hah) to put that sort of thing into the main chapters, but it is not the focus. I may double back, making this part of a series and then doing side stories and the like. But this fic? This fic is me going to the moments I really want to do, the battle with Nomu being one of the big ones.
> 
> Also, about ending this fic. I intend to end after the battle with All For One. So I want to get to there, do the battle, and then an epilogue. That's the goal.
> 
> Discord Link

Izuku was on his way home after a long day at school, grumbling to himself. One of the teachers had announced the plans of the students, including that more than one student was applying to UA. This, of course, sent Katsuki into a rage.

 

Izuku wasn't entirely sure when Katsuki had stopped being Kacchan, but it was probably at the same time that he realised what having real friends was like. Jon and Damian had made it clear that they intended to stick around, the fact that all three were aiming to be top heroes just made it better, and unlike Katsuki they weren't hoping to take the position and leave him in the dust, they wanted to stand together.

 

So there Izuku was, walking back home through a small underpass, muttering to himself about the day's events. Katsuki was getting worse, probably realising that the trio fully intended to apply to UA, and that, unlike his plans, the three might actually make it. Jon was more than strong enough to pass any test, and it was no secret that Damian and Izuku could keep up with him, the three of them having been spotted a few times training in parks or at the beach.

 

Just as Izuku was approaching the end of the underpass he heard something behind him: a strange gurgling noise followed by the manhole cover he had walked passed being violently shot into the ceiling above. Hearing the noise, not unlike water, getting louder Izuku ducked, rolling forward and to the side.

 

As he came out of his roll he saw what he had dodged: a green goop person. Snarling in frustration the goop person, clearly a villain, took another swing at Izuku, one he jumped over, pushing off the wall and landing in another roll. He needed to get out of this underpass, he had gotten lucky so far, but it was only a matter of time before the enclosed space worked against Izuku. To that end he ran, dodging another two attacks before he got into the sunlight. Unfortunately his success didn't last, the liquid villain getting a hold of his foot.

 

It took mere seconds, barely long enough to breath in as much air as he could, before Izuku was submerged inside the liquid villain. Struggling to find a way out, and quickly realising he didn't have one, Izuku thrashed inside the villain, desperately trying to liberate himself. Just as he started to black out he was freed, a great gust of wind blowing the villain apart.

 

When he recovered, dark spots dancing in front of his eyes, he saw his rescuer: All Might. The top hero was bottling up something green, the villain by the look of it. Izuku watched as All Might collected the villain, just staring at the hero. There he was, the person that had inspired Izuku more than anyone else.

 

When Izuku was younger he had wanted to speak to All Might, to ask if he could be a hero even without a Quirk. But as he looked at the top hero Izuku didn't feel the need to. He knew he was going to be a hero, even if he didn't get into UA, because there were a lot of school that would take a Quirkless kid in.

 

But even still...

 

* * *

 

 

“...and then All Might offered to make you his apprentice?” Honestly, some days Jason just wanted to go back to bed and watch cheesy sitcoms on his laptop. Not deal with the headache that was Midoriya Izuku. Seriously, grabbing hold of the top hero in the country as they were about to leave and nearly falling to his death? Who does that? And then, just to make it worse, Izuku had apparently saved the Katsuki boy from a slime villain, risking his own life in the process.

 

“Yeah.” At some point Izuku, who had been very excited when he got to the flat, seemed to remember that this was supposed to be a secret. As such his ramblings had turned to quiet answers, his shame at not even lasting a day before he told someone seeming to rob him of his voice.

 

“Start on your push-ups.” Jason told him, getting the boy to start on his routine.

 

“How many?” Izuku asked, even as he got down on the floor.

 

“Ten more than last time.” Jason savoured the groan that his answer caused. That would teach the kid to nearly get himself killed.

 

And he'd have to redouble his efforts to find out All Might's identity. Can't have Izuku being trained by just anyone.

 

* * *

 

 

As the months flew by Izuku was around less and less, off training with All Might. In response to their friend getting such an impressive trainer Damian and Jon threw themselves into their own training. The fact that the UA entry exam was less than a year away didn't hurt their ambitions either.

 

Finally, ten months after Izuku started training with All Might, and six months after Izuku gained his own Quirk, the day had come. The three boys, now fifteen years of age, were ready to take the UA entrance exam.

 

* * *

 

 

 

The written portion of the test was a laugh. Damian didn't know what kind of people they were expecting to take it, but he was not impressed.

 

Damian was forced to through out his initial plan of teaming up with Jon and/or Izuku due to the fact that they were both in separate testing grounds. In light of this he was forced to compete under his own power. Not favourable, especially against robots, but he was confidant he could manage.

 

Lacking any weaponry, which they refused to let him have without filling out a form that explained why his Quirk necessitated a sword, Damian improvised. Checking one of the more intact robot corpses, this one having a playing card shoved through its head, he quickly found a weakness: some wires were exposed on the back of the neck, connecting the head to the rest of the body.

 

A bit of work, and a few false starts (which would bruise tomorrow), and Damian managed to get into a good rhythm. He even managed to find a peace of debris, a pipe of some sort, to use as a makeshift weapon. In between jumping at robots and trying to rip out their spines Damian spent his time pulling people out of the way of danger. The amount of them that got themselves injured and just decided to sit in the middle of the street, instead of moving to the pavement or something, was astounding. Did they _want_ to get run over by one of the larger robots? And that's not counting the ones that froze up when confronted by something that genuinely meant them harm.

 

Finally, after what felt like hours of running around and fighting the ground trembled. A massive machine, one that towered over the surrounding structures, was shortly revealed to be the cause. It was out of Damian's league, he had no way to stop it. With that thought in mind there was only one thing to do.

 

Pulling out a whistle he gave it a blow.

 

* * *

 

 

The written test had been a bit tricky, but mostly it was alright.

 

The physical test on the other hand? _That_ was awesome. While Jon had been a little disappointed that he wasn't with Damian or Izuku he had soon realised just what this was: an opportunity. Over the years Jason had shared stories of his experience with other members of the “Super Family”. One thing he talked about was how they were always holding back, how they had to keep such a tight lid on their strength. Jon had found the same issue over time, and had worked hard to keep control of his power.

 

But now? Now he was fighting robots. Robots that weren't alive. For the first time in his life Jon was able to stop holding back. When he realised this, after destroying his third robot, he stopped dead in the street for a second, before grinning madly and running at full speed towards the next one.

 

He barely slowed when as he pushed his way through the machine. Ducking and weaving around other contestants, while making full use of his x-ray vision so that he knew if there was anyone on the other side of a robot before he rushed through it, Jon easily dispatched robot after robot. He also moved some people out of the way of attacks. Some found themselves a few feet to the side, letting an attack go past them without harm. Others blinked and were suddenly halfway down the street, well out of range of anything that may harm them.

 

As Jon was moving someone else to safety, a girl that had managed to twist her ankle, a large robot appeared, staring down at them from above the buildings. Taking note to pay more attention to his surroundings, because he _should_ have heard that thing coming, Jon did some quick maths. While he wasn't exactly a genius he _was_ more than smart enough to work this problem out (the ability to think in super speed helped). The robot's advance was halted when one of the smaller robots hit its head. Followed by another. And another.

 

Using a combination of his strength and speed Jon peppered the massive machine with a onslaught of smaller robots. Oh sure, he could have just flown up and punched it, but that would have sent it falling backwards, and he wanted to avoid the risk of it falling on anyone. Instead he forced it to remain in place. Any time it started tipping he focused his attack on that side, propping it back up. Finally, after about sixty attacks, it finished collapsing in a mostly straight down direction.

 

After it came down, and Jon had helped save some of the people that had been too close to it and gotten hurt, he heard a sharp whistle. For safety reasons Damian and Izuku both were equipped with glorified dog whistles. The idea was that if they were in danger they could call, and Jon would come and help them. He had been listening for them since the test began (which made the fact that he had missed the massive robot that much more annoying).

 

Speeding out of his testing area he ran into the one neighbouring his, homing in on the sound. Quickly finding the source of the noise, Damian, he took stock of the situation, like Jason had taught him. Damian was standing in the middle of the street, pointing upwards where another large robot was baring down on them.

 

This one went down faster. After Jon had relocated Damian, to a nearby rooftop where he'd be safe, have a nice view of the action, and have escape options if need be, Jon moved back into position, braced himself, and leapt upward.

 

* * *

 

 

“So... this is it.” Izuku said, looking up at the academy. The three had waited with baited breath for the results of the exam, and had been ecstatic to learn that all three had made the cut.“The first step in our journey to becoming heroes.”

 

“Don't be so dramatic.” Damian told him, shouldering past Izuku. Rolling his eyes fondly Jon took his place at Damian's side, with Izuku quickly falling in on the other.

 

With that the trinity walked through the front doors.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Izuku still grabbed hold of All Might's leg. He's a bit smarter, but it's All Might. The hero he most looks up to. People do stupid things when confronted with larger than life heroes.
> 
> Izuku's exam is cut, but it goes mostly like in canon, with the exception that he scored actual combat points, as he got One For All earlier (due to having been working out for years already). He also scores more rescue points, as he helped out people.
> 
> Izuku & Jon helping people: "Stay here, you'll be safe."
> 
> Damian helping people: "Get out the way before you get yourself hurt."
> 
> In an earlier draft of this chapter Damian didn't have a whistle, he just calmly says "Jon, punch it". And then Jon punches it. I also debated Jon throwing his Zero Pointer at Damian's. But thought that was too silly, and the whistle makes sense (at least to me).
> 
> As always, thoughts, suggestions, and the like are all welcome.


	7. Mock Up Match Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Bomb Test, a bit of conversation, and the class goes to the USJ.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, but this chapter was being a pain the neck to write.
> 
> Jon's outfit is somewhere between his comic one (as seen in Super Sons) and a more traditional Superman outfit. Basically it's Superman, but I liked the "Cape joins into the crest" thing Jon had going for him, so I kept that.
> 
> I have yet to design Damian's outfit, and as such I don't talk about it in this chapter.
> 
> Discord Link

Jon, with years of practice in the art, ignored Katsuki's glare as he walked into Class 1-A. Apparently the explosive boy wasn't happy that they were here.

 

Izuku had barely stepped into the room when he was accosted by a tall guy with glasses, who was apologising for how he acted during the entrance exam. As he made his way to his seat Jon made a note to get the story from Izuku later, it sounded interesting.

 

They weren't in class long, mostly chatting by the looks of things, before the teacher showed up. Jon was surprised to see the same hero from the warehouse, the one that helped them out all those years ago.

 

The teacher, Aizawa, wasted no time in bringing them outside for another test, a series of physical challenges, all under the threat that the lowest scoring student would be sent home.

 

Jon managed to do alright, his strength and speed easily placing him towards the top of the class. Izuku ranked in the higher ends as well, if a bit closer to the middle. Damian, unfortunately, ended up near the bottom in each test, unable to match the advantages the other students Quirks awarded them.

 

Finally they came to the last test: throwing a baseball. Most students scored reasonably well, with one girl using some kind of levitation ability to make the ball just keep going, which Jon supposed made her win by default.

 

When it was time for Damian to go he gave a Jon a light hit to the arm, throwing a smirk over his shoulder as he moved to the designated circle. Jon rolled his eyes, relaxing as Damian started tossing the ball up and down, testing its weight. After doing this a few times he pulled back, took aim, and threw the ball...

 

...where it landed in Jon's waiting hand. Under the eyes of his classmates Jon turned and started walking, carrying the ball with him. Even as he heard them start talking to Damian he kept moving. Finally he had found his mark.

 

Jon placed the ball on the ground, only a few inches further than where Katsuki's ball had landed.

 

* * *

 

 

“So... are they... together?”

 

A week after the tests and Izuku was standing in an observation room, watching Jon and Damian, who had luckily ended up together, try and claim the “bomb” from the “villains”. Standing next to him was Kirishima, a redhead with a Quirk that allowed him to toughen up his body.

 

“No, no they are not.” Izuku sighed.

 

“But they're clearly-” See, this is why Izuku found his two friends' interest in each other so annoying. People that they just met can tell they like each other, but neither of them could see it.

 

“Yes they are.” One of these days Izuku was going to lock them in a cupboard. Just as soon as he found one that Jon wouldn't break out of.

 

“So if they like each other why aren't they-”

 

“Because they're both idiots.”

 

* * *

 

 

With a great shattering of ice Jon emerged.

 

Todoroki, one of the two “villains” that he and Damian were against, had a pretty impressive ice generation Quirk. He had caught Jon off guard, encasing him in a thin layer of the frozen water. This, of course, did little to slow the hybrid. The massive wall of ice that engulfed the entire hallway, except his head, did a considerably better job. Luckily Damian was already engaged with the other “villain”, a kid with tail by the name of Ojiro, and had moved into a different part of the building.

 

Stalking out of the ice Jon brushed some smaller bits off of his shoulders. His outfit was great, and he had loved the feeling of putting it on for the first time. It was modelled on his dad's, blue outfit, red cape that connected to his family's crest, red boots, it was cool.

 

“You want to try that again?” Jon asked, focusing his senses. He wouldn't be caught off guard a second time.

 

The second Todoroki moved, calling up more ice, Jon moved right up to Todoroki, placing a hand on his chest. There was a moment, a heartbeat as Todoroki realised just how close Jon had gotten, and then Jon extended his arm.

 

The super strength push threw the “villain” into the far wall, right next to a window. Todoroki retaliated with a powerful attack: a wave of ice broke the walls and ceiling, leaving nowhere to go. The ice soon filled the hallway, breaking out the other side of the building.

 

Shoto gave a sigh of relief. That was overkill, he could admit that, but he panicked. The guy was just _there_ , Shoto had barely seen him move.

 

“Todoroki, you're out.” The voice of All Might reported, coming over the small earpiece Shoto had.

 

“What?” He asked. Out? Because he used too much force? Well, he could accept that, this was only a training exercise after all.

 

“That would be because of the tape on your arm.” Another voice, one that belonged to a person that should have been frozen solid, told him. Turning around Shoto saw his enemy, casually leaning against the wall, who nodded towards Shoto's arm. Turning his gaze downward he saw that, indeed, there was tape around it.

 

* * *

 

 

“So, how'd your fight go?” Damian asked as the two walked out of the infirmary. Damian's had gone pretty well, in his opinion anyway. He'd managed to hold his own against what was clearly a well trained opponent who had good control of their Quirk. If all the ice hadn't caused the building to shake, which robbed Damian of his footing at a crucial moment, he'd probably have won.

 

“He pushed me.” Jon replied, taking his place to watch the next match: Izuku vs Katsuki.

 

“What do you mean?” Pushed? It was fight, Damian hoped that there was a bit more than pushing.

 

“His ice is fast. And strong.” He explained.

 

“How much power were you using?” Because Jon didn't call people, or things, fast. Not often anyway.

 

“About... three quarters?” He shrugged. “I had to push a bit past that to dodge his final attack.”

 

And with that Todoroki officially claimed the spot of “most powerful classmate” in Damian's mind.

 

“Could you beat him.” Theoretically Jon could beat most people, simply by virtue of his speed. But that wasn't what Damian wanted to know. Jon was silent for a minute, watching Izuku flip Katsuki.

 

“I don't know.” He decided.

 

Well. That was worrying.

 

* * *

 

 

A few weeks the students of Class 1A were on their way to the USJ, a facility not far from them that simulated various environments for them to train in. Izuku was looking forward to it, as he had to each bit of training they did.

 

The day had started a bit weird, with the reporters somehow getting past security, but the excitement of the day quickly overshadowed that. Said excitement only grew when they met the Thirteen, the Space Hero.

 

Of course, it wasn't to last. They had barely gotten through the door, only had enough time for the Space Hero to explain what the facility was, before a dark swirling vortex appeared, with a small army pouring out of it.

 

They were under attack.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we get a look at Jon's power, and where he stacks up to the rest of the class. Jon's towards the top of the class, easy, but he's not the top dog. At least, not the uncontested top dog. Remember, he's young, inexperienced, and hasn't fully come into his own power yet. If Todoroki had landed that second wave of ice, he'd have won. But Jon managed to speed past him, going quicker than he's comfortable going usually, and snag the victory.
> 
> I knew I wanted to pair Damian up against one of the physical fighters, hence Ojiro. I can't remember if it's in his backstory, but I like to think that Ojiro has some formal training, which, when combined with his Quirk, let gave him a fair advantage over the Quirkless Damian. I'll leave it to you to decide if Damian's right about him winning. You could say he would have, or you could say that he was going to lose sooner or later.
> 
> USJ next, which means fighting. I'll probably dedicate the whole chapter to small groups fighting against OC villains instead of a horde of faceless mooks. I may do Nomu next chapter, or I'll do a few chapters of fighting. Maybe "random USJ fights" as Chapter 1, "Nomu vs Students" as Chapter 2, and "Nomu vs All Might" as Chapter 3. Or I can do it all in one big chapter, let me know what you think.
> 
> By the way, we'll probably return to plotlessness for a bit in the break between USJ and the Sport's Festival, which will be a whole thing, a good two or three chapters spent there hopefully.


	8. UJS Part 1: Heroes vs Mooks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The USJ is under attack. People fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, as I was looking for a visual reference for Damian's outfit, as while I knew what I want I work better with a reference, I came across Redbird, an identity that Damian briefly took. Looking into THAT led me to the picture I used for reference. Why do I bring this up? Because I want everyone to go to the link below and give the creator love. Snackage was nice enough to give me permission to use their design. Thanks Snackage!
> 
> https://snackage.tumblr.com/post/49382998748 This art is awesome, and you should all go give the creator some support.
> 
> Anyway, now that that is out of the way, on with the show!
> 
> Discord Link

The next few minutes were a blur for Jon, and before he knew it he was standing in the middle of a burning city, surrounded by other people. One or two he recognised as his classmates, but mostly glaring strangers.

 

The first attack, a small projectile of some kind, impacted Jon's chest, directly over his house's crest. It didn't even break the material, let alone his skin. Well, that settled that. Pulling up his power Jon set off towards the one that tried to shoot him. He mostly acted as a shield, stepping in the way of attacks aimed at his classmates, but when he wasn't doing that he tried to focus on the most dangerous looking villains, taking them down with carefully controlled strikes.

 

But then things changed.

 

Jon charged at taller man with dark hair that rose to a series of points who wearing a strange orange outfit, preparing to punch them. His punch, oddly, didn't impact the villain's chest as intended, but instead was answered by another punch, one that was coated in a blue aura. The aura flared on impact, but the opposing fist didn't budge. Jon had barely enough time to step back, dodging the kick that would have impacted his stomach. Grabbing the outstretched ankle Jon pulled, throwing another punch, only to be met with a palm and another flare of blue.

 

With their strength equalised it meant that the fight mostly came down to skill, an area that Jon quickly found he was losing in. The villain was well trained, and Jon just didn't match up. With that in mind Jon decided to cheat.

 

Speeding backwards a short distance, a trick that had come at the expense of their dining room table, Jon let heat build up behind his eyes. He had practised, on and off over the years, with his heat vision, and had learned to control it. He had found that, with a bit of focus, he could change the area of the attack. A tighter area, two thin streams of heat, cut like twin lasers. A wider area, a wave of energy, was considerably more concussive. It would hurt, no getting around that, but it wouldn't slice the orange clad villain in half.

 

At first it worked, and he managed to pin the villain against a wall. But then the crook shouted, and the blue aura flared around them, pushing back the red. Jon had only a moment to panic, accidentally cutting off his heat vision, as he was suddenly set upon. The black haired man grabbed Jon by the face, continuing his path until the Jon's back impacted a building. A swift three hit combo pushed the hybrid through the wall, with the villain climbing in after him.

 

Jon rolled to the side, barely dodging the boot that tried to stomp on his head. This gave him a few precious seconds to assess his new location. The interior of the building was large and empty, very little in the way of obstacles barring a few support pillars. His roll also allowed him the time to get his feet under him, so at least he was upright again.

 

“You know, this is the best fight I've had in a long time.” The villain smirked, standing still with his hands at side.

 

“Thanks.” With that Jon decided to try for his next idea: flight. Jon wasn't that good at flying, a product of never having the space to practice before he came to UA, but he should be able to pull this off. He sped forward, ducking under a punch, and slammed his shoulder into the villain's gut. Then, after bracing himself against the floor for a moment, Jon took off.

 

The building they were in had six floors. Jon pushed his way through each one of them, forcing the villain up through the ceiling of each floor. He didn't stop when he reached open air, the villain now attacking him again, but instead he kept going, kept rising until he hit the domed roof of the area they were in, holding the villain against it.

 

“Unless you can fly, I suggest you stop struggling.” His answer came in the form of a headbutt, the villain slamming his forehead into Jon's. The villain gave another smirk before bracing himself against the domed ceiling and diving at Jon. The two struggled in midair, falling back to the ground, before the villain broke away, planting both feet on Jon's chest and launching himself into a free fall. A free fall that lasted only a few seconds, before blue fiery aura exploded out from the villain, keeping him in midair. Because of course he could fly.

 

Gritting his teeth Jon charged, his foe meeting him.

 

* * *

 

 

Six.

 

A group of villains, six in total, moved throughout a simulated city, this one caught in a downpour. The were on the hunt, searching for wannabe heroes. As they walked they didn't notice a seventh figure, smaller than they were, watching from nearby rooftop. As the villains walked beneath an overpass they heard a noise, a short scream of terror. It was cut off nearly instantly, but that wasn't what frightened them. No, they were frightened by the fact that it came from only a few feet away.

 

Turning around the group found that their sixth was gone. He had simply vanished. After a few moments of panic they continued on, determined to find whatever pest had taken out their comrade.

 

Five.

 

The five villains walked, on the lookout for whatever hero in training was nearby. Unfortunately for them, the rain was obscuring most of the area, making it difficult to see. As they walked past an alleyway another member vanished, an invisible force dragging them, screaming, into the darkness. Just like before the scream cut off suddenly, letting silence reign once more.

 

Four.

 

The remaining four crooks stayed close together, never more than an arm's length from each other. They weren't going to vanish, taken away by whatever horror movie reject was after them. They were crossing the street, still searching, when a loud _bang_ went off, accompanied by a bright flash. By the time they recovered from the flash bang, all groaning from the attack on their senses, they noticed that another of their number was gone.

 

Three.

 

Now properly scared the trio broke into a run, hoping to simply escape. They had made it a few blocks when one of them simply fell over, as if some puppeteer had cut his strings. Not stopping for him, as they didn't want to risk getting caught by whatever overpowered freak was after them, the remaining villains only increased their speed.

 

Two.

 

They quickly found themselves lost, with no clue where any of the other members of the League were. There were no sounds of battle, no voices, nothing besides the sounds of rain and wind. There was no light shining over the buildings, nothing to indicate that there was anyone nearby at all.

 

One of the two remaining villains, this one a taller muscled man with dark blue skin, suddenly felt something pressing down on him, looking up he saw that two hands were pressed against them, a small figure using him as a springboard as he leapt towards the other villain. The blue skinned man had barely enough time to shout a warning before the small figure landed onto of the other villain's back, knocking them to the ground. The blue skinned villain could only watch as the small figure pressed a single hand against the downed man, causing him to shake violently for a moment, before he stilled.

 

“One.”

 

* * *

 

 

Damian loved his outfit. And apparently, so did the Support Department.

 

Damian's request to them, beyond the cosmetic, had basically boiled down to “go nuts”. And they _did_. His utility belt was packed with all sorts of gadgets, many of which he'd been testing on this small group.

 

He'd used a grapple on the first, jumping down from the overpass before grabbing the crook and ascending once more. The second to a not dissimilar strategy, simply dragging the villain into the alley directly. A flash bang had obscured the removal of the third, with a sleep dart, launched from a handgun like device, stopping the fourth. The fifth had gone down to a taser-disk, a small coin sized device that held a surprisingly high amount of power. Even keeping up with them was no trouble. His cape let him glide, his boots were designed to absorb sound, and he had his grapple gun.

 

As for the cosmetics? The thing looked great. Black and red, with a hooded cape. The main outfit was a bodysuit, primarily red in colour, with his sleeves, torso, and boots in black. A red design, a bird in flight, rose up along his front, and a black and red V shaped mask sat on his face, hiding his eyes. Armoured plates, designed to look like red feathers, set across his shoulders and around his neck, hidden under his black cape. The cape itself had only peace of colour upon it, a copy of the logo on his chest. Red gloves, with two small blades on the sides, completed the look.

 

Across the back of his waist sat two scabbards that held his primary weapons: twin metallic bokkens. Sure, he couldn't cut with them, as they was blunt, but he was confident that he could hit pretty hard, despite how light they were. There was also a utility belt, a holster for his dart launcher, an a few other devices. Even the mask itself was more than it seemed, with a built in night vision mode.

 

Damian had spent a lot of time designing the look of his outfit, and he had even chosen a name for it. Redbird.

 

“One.” He counted. One left, one last villain to take out.

 

The battle, if it could even be called that, was short. The blue man was strong, strong enough to shatter the concrete when he tried to punch Damian. Luckily he wasn't particularly fast, so it was easy for Damian to slip under the punch, pull out his dart launcher, and fire at point black range, taking them out.

 

With that done Damian stood, retrieving the taser-disk and the dart, and continued on his way.

 

* * *

 

 

In the air above the burning artificial city the fight was still raging. Blow after blow was traded, as the two flying powerhouses fought. Finally the melee halted, as the opponents locked hands, pushing against each other.

 

“You're not half bad.” The villain said smiling widely, his face inches from Jon's as he pushed harder against the air around them, clearly trying to win the midair struggle. “But you can't beat me, I'm better than you in every way!”

 

Jon responded with heat vision.

 

* * *

 

 

Damian had made his way out of the raining artificial city, trusting his other classmates to deal with the rest of the villains, and entered the main plaza. Unlike the small bands that were roaming the city, the plaza was filled with a variable _army_ of villains. Unfortunately Damian wasn't allowed to take in the sight for very long, as some of the crooks on the fringe soon took notice of him.

 

A few moment's later and Damian was in the midst of a fight, bokken in hand. He did consider using his second bokken, duel wielding the two blunt weapons, but quickly discarded that idea. He was skilled, having trained for years before he got into UA, but he wasn't _that_ good. Luckily he _was_ good enough to hold his own against the horde of villains that was descending upon him. Eventually his weapon met another, a quarterstaff in the hands tall skinny guy. Damian had to, grudgingly, admit that the crook wasn't half bad. The two soon fell into a rhythm, a swift back and forth between two skilled practitioners. Guard, turn, parry, dodge, spin, thrust. Luckily he managed to win, tossing a taser-disk onto his opponent.

 

His victory was cut short when a voice called out.

 

“Nomu. Kill him.”

 

Within a moment the powerhouse was there, pulling back a fist. There was blur of movement...

 

...And the first struck the crest of the House of El.

 

* * *

 

 

Pain exploded from the point of impact, sending Jon flying back from the force. He slammed into the plaza's staircase, ploughing straight through it, only coming to rest after the cement and stone slowed his momentum enough. Today, Jon decided, _sucked_. The orange clad villain was bad enough, and Jon hadn't even finished fighting that guy, but now there was this big brute. It took a bit of super strength and effort, but soon Jon picked himself out of the rubble and locked eyes on the thing that hit him.

 

Tall, hunched over, brain exposed. Well, at least this time he got hit by something that looked more interesting than the last guy. Speaking of who, Jon couldn't see the black haired crook anywhere. Concerning, but a problem for later. He had more immediate concerns to focus on.

 

He shot forward again, aiming a punch for the big guy's stomach. It hit, with the behemoth not even twitching, acting like he didn't even feel it. Jon then leapt backwards, barely dodging the fist that was aiming for his head. The first impacted the ground, shattering it.

 

“Nomu. Ignore the other one, kill this wannabe hero.” Someone covered in hands, and that was just weird, ordered. The brute, Nomu, then started towards Jon again, clearly intending to speed towards him as he did when he tried to kill Damian. Jon, not trusting that the villain would stop before crashing into Damian, who was still behind him dealing with another criminal, didn't bother dodging. Instead he braced himself, planting his feet hard on the ground and bringing up his arms to form a shield.

 

But Nomu didn't hit Jon again. Instead the brute impacted a thick wall of ice, one that started growing around the behemoth. Turning to the side Jon was greeted by the sight of Todoroki, his classmate crouched on the ground as he controlled his ice. The duel haired boy rose, the ice having encased Nomu, and moved to stand by Jon. Before long others joined him, moving up to stand together.

 

Jon, Damian, Izuku, Todoroki, Katsuki, Kirashima and Aizawa. The six students and their teacher stood should to shoulder, ready for the fight.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I was wondering: how would you guys like me to expand to other platforms? I have a tumbler account I don't use for anything besides browsing D&D stuff. I could make a Discord Server. Or perhaps start a subreddit. If I did anything it would probably be the Discord. I could post snippets of ongoing works, discus ideas that I've had, and all sorts of things. And being hounded in real time for updates might even make me write faster! Would need to find mods and all that though... It's something to think about.
> 
> As usual: thoughts, critiques, errors, etc, all are welcomed in the comment section.


	9. USJ Part 2: Ghosts of the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damian, Kirashima, and Aizawa vs Shigaraki
> 
> Katsuki and Half n' Half vs Kurogiri
> 
> Izuku and Jon vs Nomu
> 
> FIGHT!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to get out, been a bit busy on a bunch of co-writing stuff, which I've found to be a ton of fun. But I do love this fic, and want to continue it.
> 
> Also, for those that don't read my other stories, I have a Discord now, the links of which should be appearing on the rest of this story soon enough. Come on over, say hi. I'd love to talk to you all.

**Damian, Kirishima, and Aizawa vs Shigaraki**

By some unspoken agreement they attacked, splitting up to take on the villains. Damian, Kirishima and Aizawa charged at the one covered in hands, Damian leading the charge with his blunted weapon.

The smart thing to do would be to leave, to back away and try to escape. But that wasn't going to happen, that _couldn't_ happen, because one of the villains was fast enough to catch them and another could teleport. So they had to stand and fight.

Damian led with his bokken, aiming to jab it into the villain's throat, only to have it knocked off course by a backhand. Not wasting the momentum, he spun with the hit, lashing out first with a kick, which was dodged, and then with an upward swing of his bokken, the weapon slamming into the villain's side, causing them to grunt in pain. His strike having landed, he stepped back, not willing to risk pressing the attack when he didn't know the villain's Quirk.

Damian waited, ready to leap forward at any moment, as his redheaded teammate took his place. Kirishima opened with a strong right hook, clocking the villain across the jaw. Kirishima was a bit less willing to step back than Damian, so he continued his assault with a knee to the stomach, followed by a hit to the chest with his left hand, his hardened skin working to strengthen the blows. It was only then that he backed away, and that was only because the boys' teacher stepped in.

Aizawa, having taken the time to move into a more advantageous position, quickly and easily ensnared his off balance foe - Shigaraki he thought he'd heard him be called, with his capture scarf. With that done he swung wide, around himself, and then up and over, slamming the villain into the ground. Shigaraki impacted the ground hard, still tangled in Aizawa's capture weapon, giving a small cry of pain. He didn't have long to rest before he was airborne again, soon meeting the ground once more.

Unfortunately the second impact jostled him in such a way that he was able to grip at the scarf-like capture weapon, activating his Quirk and freeing himself the next time Aizawa tried to flip him. He didn't have long to enjoy his freedom before Damian was on him again, leaping at Shigaraki with an overhead strike.

Which the villain grabbed with one hand, his Quirk starting to eat away at the metal. Damian didn't pay much attention to this, as he simply released his weapon and punched Shigaraki in the throat. He then reacquired his bokken, the villain having dropped it due to being punched, and stepped out of the way of Kirishima.

If they could keep this rhythm they could win.

* * *

Katsuki launched himself at the shadowy villain, using a second blast to dodge a tendril that reached for him, and a third to retaliate, his attack missing the metallic target by a fair margin. He landed in a roll, another blast cancelling his momentum.

It wasn't easy to switch between the kind of blasts he used to launch himself and the kind he was trying to use to attack, especially in midair. He'd master it, of course he would, but right now he just didn't have the trick down. That was problem because he was fighting for his life.

Katsuki dodged as the shadowy fuck lashed out, a tendril of black mist missing its target by mere inches. He grit his teeth, annoyed that he was forced to fight against this shitty extra, instead of the big guy. But he'd blow this loser away soon enough, then he could go and save Deku's useless ass.

Half n' Half, the lazy fuck, finally decided to be helpful, calling up a spike of ice that was aimed at the metallic part of the mist villain's body. The attack disappeared into another damn portal, another gateway opening so that it nearly hit the idiot that sent it.

Katsuki rolled his eyes as he once again charged the villain, because apparently he had to do everything himself. A trail of explosions launched him forward and, twisting his arms around to aim directly in front of him with both hands, he let out a wide blast at point black range. Who the fuck needed accuracy when you could just level a motherfucker in one shot?

This worked, causing the misty bastard recoiled violently, which made him trip over Frosty's ice (because apparently the smokey fuck had legs somewhere under all that gas). Katsuki didn't waste a moment, reentering the battle with a shout and a blast.

What followed was a fast paced dance of smoke, explosions, and ice.

* * *

Izuku fell to his knee, letting the monstrous punch sail over his head.

He couldn't beat Nomu, the titanic beast of a villain that had been brought to the USJ. His punches did nothing, and neither did Jon's. But that didn't mean he couldn't stall, couldn't buy time for someone else to finish their fight. Maybe with enough of them piling onto the big guy they'd win.

One For All shifted, down into his legs, and a heartbeat later Izuku was in the air, hanging above the exposed brain of Nomu. He didn't bother moving the power to his arms, instead flipping over to slam his heels into his target. However it felt like his feet hit a wall made of steel, rather than a squishy organ. So, his powers extended even to that. He should have known, as the villain made no attempt to guard what Izuku had taken to be a weak spot.

Nomu twisted, his hand moving with frightening speed towards the airborne target. It missed, as with a blur of red and blue Izuku was on the ground again, Jon releasing him. This had been their strategy so far: one of them would attack, with the other waiting to dash in and pull them out of danger. It had proven effective at keeping themselves alive and relatively unharmed, but they'd yet to make any noticeable progress in _defeating_ their foe.

Jon took his turn, using his flight to charge directly towards Nomu. When the beast tried to punch him Jon twisted, grabbing the large wrist and pulling with all his might. A combination of his momentum, generated via the midair twist, and his impressive strength turned out to be enough to move the Nomu, lifting the villain of his feet and throwing him across the plaza.

“He's not immune to _that_.” Jon pointed out, panting slightly. A loud bellow came up from where Nomu had landed, showing that while they may have found a way to _attack_ the damage they dealt didn't seem to actually amount to much.

“Got a plan?” Izuku asked his teammate, because so far his best plan was to simply charge at Nomu and try not to die.

“I've got something, but I need some time to get ready.” Jon sounded about as enthusiastic about that as Izuku felt. Leaving Izuku to fight against that thing, alone, was not exactly his idea of a good time. Nevertheless he nodded, pushing One For All into every corner of his body.

This was going to suck, but if this is what Jon needed him to do, then he would.

* * *

Jon sped upwards, towards the ceiling. He had a plan, something that the Support Department had built at his request. If he was right it should give him just enough power to beat Nomu.

His flight upward was intercepted by the same orange clad villain he had fought before. They were wreathed in an inferno of blue aura, and when they slammed into Jon it felt like what he imagined being hit by a train would feel like. The two tumbled through the air for a few short moments, before Jon managed to separate himself just before he crashed into the staircase. Again.

This was getting old.

“I have to thank you.” The villain told him, grabbing him by the neckline of his suit. “It's been ages since I've had a fight like this.”

“Glad to... help.” Heat built behind Jon's eyes, ready to blast his foe away. This is what _would_ have happened, had his line of sight not suddenly been filled with knee.

“Sorry, but I'm not getting hit by that again.” They gloated before slamming their knee into Jon's face another four times before throwing him against the stairs.

“You know, it occurs to me: I never gave you my name.” Jon heard, through a ringing in his own ears. As the villain talked Jon's hand moved towards his belt, trying to locate the key to his plan. “My name is... well, what I was called then isn't important, but I call myself Wukong these days. Got it out of a myth, this guy that fought against gods.”

Wukong stalked towards where Jon had landed, pulling back a hand to punch him again. But Jon finally managed to find his target, pressing down on the small button that was hidden near the centre of his belt.

The fist slammed into the stone, shattering it, Jon having relocated to stand right besides him. Before Wukong could react he was suddenly hit across the jaw, the force blowing him back. Another hit brought him back down to Earth, creating another crater in the USJ's floor.

When the villain crawled out of the crater he saw Jon standing above him, glaring down. The bruises that were viable on Jon's face were fading, and his breathing slowly evened out to simply tired, rather than exhausted. Pulsing out from his chest, originating somewhere behind his family crest, was a ripple of golden energy.

Jon sighed in relief, basking in the solar energy that was being distributed throughout his body. It was a request to the Support Department, one that they explained was easy to implement: batteries that stored solar energy and the released it at his command. And because the energy of a yellow sun powered him, he was effectively supercharged until the batteries ran out of power.

When Wukong tried to punch him, the aura that surrounded the villain flaring up ever higher, he simply side stepped it. He had only had a few moments, and he needed this power to fight Nomu. He needed to rap this up quickly.

Wukong wasn't much of a threat after that. The villain was strong, yes, but he was no mach for Jon while his power was enhanced by the solar energy. Another few hits proved enough to render Jon's foe unconscious. That done the hybrid made his way back into the air, hanging near the ceiling.

Taking a deep breath Jon shot forward and down, aiming directly at Nomu. He didn't try and punch the beast, didn't try and attack it at all really. He just crossed his arms in front of him as a shield, tucked his head in...

 

...and slammed into the ground beneath Nomu's feet, shattering it.

 

Jon didn't hesitate to put the next stage of his plan into motion, flying up into Nomu and taking off, taking the brute with him. The large villain was immune to being punched, Izuku and Jon had proven that, so he wasn't going to try and attack it, simply remove it. Shattering the stone had, for a brief moment, left the Nomu in the air, so he couldn't brace himself against anything when Jon took him for a ride.

Higher and higher Jon pushed, doing his best to ignore the blows that Nomu dealt him. One particularly hard hit made him lose his grip, but he recovered and took a hold of Nomu's leg, continuing his flight.

The duo broke the ceiling of the USJ at some point, but Jon barely noticed.

 

_Higher._

 

Crushing blow after crushing blow impacted his skin, but still he pushed.

 

_Higher._

 

The solar amplification wore out, and Jon felt just how sore his muscles were getting.

 

_Higher._

 

He couldn't win. But he could, for however brief a moment, remove the strongest villain from the field.

 

_Higher._

 

Finally a combination of tiredness, caused by coming down off of the solar amplification, and being punched and kicked by Nomu finally did it, and Jon fell to Earth.

* * *

When Jon came back to his senses Nomu was standing over him, pulling back a fist. The boy closed his eyes, waiting for the strike.

But it never came.

A gust of wind, a loud bang, and the distinct lack crying out in pain made Jon open his eyes, only to see red boots. Turning higher he saw a blue suit, broken up by red around the waist, and a large red cape that blew in the wind.

He also looked like a ghost, with Jon being able to see clear through him.

Jon stared in open shock as his father, Superman, held Nomu back with one hand, the other already winding up for a counter attack. When the Man of Steel's attack landed on Nomu's chest the beast was sent flying, a single blow doing more damage than Jon and Izuku had managed to do in five minutes.

Superman turned, and just for a second father and son locked eyes for the first time in nearly a decade. That single second seemed to stretch forever, an eternity that lasted for less than a single heartbeat.

And then the ghost of his father was gone, as if he'd never been there at all.

When Nomu again charged Jon, paralysed by his emotions, was pulled out of the way by another hero: All Might, who's arrival had gone unnoticed by the boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I'm explaining that ending next chapter, after the All Might v Nomu fight.
> 
> I really should give more focus to Izuku...


End file.
